THE FAMILY KNIGHT
(Joshua 5:13 NKJV) And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?"
(Joshua 5:14 NKJV) So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"
(Joshua 5:15 NKJV) Then the Commander of the LORD'S army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
In the passages of Scripture above, we see Joshua’s personal encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. But before we explore his encounter further, let’s look at Joshua’s background. He was there when God used Moses to lead God’s people out of Egypt. He was an eye witness to all the great wonders the Lord perform on behalf of His people. God made Joshua the leader of His people after Moses’ death.God used Joshua to lead the children of Israel across the Jordan River on dry ground. God said to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (NKJV)
Now let’s take a closer look at Joshua’s personal encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 13, notice that Joshua was looking around and he looked up. He saw a Man His sword drawn in His hand. He asked the Man, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?"
Learning Point:
Joshua was the kind of warrior who stayed aware of his surroundings and who was there. And, yet he was focused enough to take time to ask the right question before pursuing the wrong course of action
In verse 14, the answer to Joshua’s question revealed the identity, character, and purpose of the Man he looked upon. The Man answered, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." Upon receiving the answer, “Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" Joshua 5:14 (NKJV)
Learning Point:
Joshua was the kind of warrior who had the highest respect for leadership and order. But, he also knew that only the Commander of the army of the Lord is worthy of worship. He showed us that a warrior must first worship the Lord before he engages the enemy. A lifestyle worshipping and praising the Lord is the lifestyle of a great warriors. We observe here too, that Joshua takes the right course of action before he asked another question. Even though he is a warrior, Joshua’s question lets us know that he understood his purpose – to serve the Lord. He knew that his life was not his own to command and he knew the right question to ask. This is the question that all servants must ask of the Lord Jesus Christ on a daily basis.
In verse 15, the answer to Joshua’s second question revealed the magnitude of the character of “Commander of the army of the Lord”. He is holy. Because the He is holy, where ever He is, that place is holy. Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:15 (NKJV)
Learning Point:
Joshua was the kind of warrior who obeyed the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through his obedience, Joshua demonstrated that he reverenced the Lord and honored the things of the Lord.
WILL YOU BE A FAMILY KNIGHT?
As Jesus Christ is the Commander of the army of the Lord for Joshua, He is the Commander of the Family Knight. Jesus is the only Lord and Savior of the Family Knight.
Like the knights of old, the Family Knight pledges to serve the King of Kings with his whole life. He devotes himself to advancing the purposes of the King. The Family Knight pledges to protect women and children and to stand for those who cannot stand for themselves; defend the defenseless and liberate the oppressed. With Christ as his Commander in this battle for the souls and lives of families, the Family Knight fights from a position of victory.
As a Christian man, you must fight from a position of victory in Christ Jesus. You must realize that you are already in a war. The enemy, Satan, hates God and the people of God. Satan hates you and your family. My brothers, now is time for us Christian men to stand and fully engage the enemy. STOP reacting! STOP retreating. The Bible says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 NKJV). There is not one verse in the Bible that tells us to flee from the devil. STOP fleeing! We are men of God! We are more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37 NKJV) We are VICTORIOUS!
Now, let’s get back to Joshua. He was a victorious Family Knight. Concerning his family, Joshua said, “….. choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, ……, But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)
Like Joshua, we must worship the Commander of the army of the Lord and ask, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" We must ask, receive, and follow the orders that Jesus gives us. We get our orders through worship, prayer, the Bible, and from the Spirit of God who teaches us how to worship, prayer, and study the Bible. He teaches us God’s methods of engaging the enemy.
WILL YOU BE A FAMILY KNIGHT?
GEAR UP FOR BATTLE!!!!
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
(Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV)
Start NOW!! Fight for your family by praying the Word of God. In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we invite you to join us in corporate prayer via the phone twice a week on Sunday and Wednesday mornings starting at 5am. Each call will last about 30 minutes.
To access the corporate prayer call information, just click the "Resources" link shown above. Please dial-in around 5:55am if possible.
Click here to see a model prayer on "Resisting the Enemy" by the Word of God.
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God Bless, You Brothers!!